Up-drawing continuous casting apparatus and up-drawing continuous casting method

Abstract

An up-drawing continuous casting apparatus according to one aspect of the invention includes a molten metal holding furnace that holds molten metal; a shape determining member that is arranged near a molten metal surface of the molten metal held in the molten metal holding furnace, and that determines a sectional shape of a cast casting by the molten metal passing through the shape determining member, the shape determining member including a pattern provided on an upper surface of the shape determining member; an imaging portion configured to capture an image of the pattern that is reflected onto both retained molten metal that has passed through the shape determining member, and the casting formed by the retained molten metal solidifying; an image analyzing portion configured to determine a solidification interface from the image; and a casting controlling portion configured to change a casting condition.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An up-drawing continuous casting apparatus comprising:
 a holding furnace that holds molten metal; 
 a shape determining member that is arranged above a molten metal surface of the molten metal held in the holding furnace, and that determines a sectional shape of a cast casting by the molten metal passing through the shape determining member, the shape determining member including a pattern provided on an upper surface of the shape determining member; 
 an imaging portion configured to capture an image of the pattern that is reflected onto both retained molten metal that has passed through the shape determining member, and the casting formed by the retained molten metal solidifying; 
 an image analyzing portion configured to determine a solidification interface from the image; and 
 a casting controlling portion configured to change a casting condition when the solidification interface determined by the image analyzing portion is not within a predetermined reference range. 
 
     
     
       2. The up-drawing continuous casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the imaging portion is arranged in a position where the imaging portion is able to capture the pattern reflected onto both the retained molten metal and the casting; and the pattern is provided on the shape determining member in a position where the imaging portion is able to capture the pattern reflected onto both the retained molten metal and the casting. 
 
     
     
       3. The up-drawing continuous casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the pattern includes a plurality of colors. 
     
     
       4. The up-drawing continuous casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the pattern includes a serrated shape provided on an upper surface of the shape determining member. 
 
     
     
       5. The up-drawing continuous casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the pattern is striped or mesh-shaped. 
 
     
     
       6. The up-drawing continuous casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the casting condition is one of a flow rate of cooling gas for cooling the retained molten metal that has passed through the shape determining member, an up-drawing speed of the casting, and a set temperature of the holding furnace. 
 
     
     
       7. The up-drawing continuous casting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the shape determining member is divided into a plurality of sections, and is able to change the sectional shape; 
 the image analyzing portion is configured to detect a dimension of the casting from the image; and 
 the casting controlling portion is configured to change the sectional shape determined by the shape determining member, when the dimension is not within a dimensional tolerance. 
 
     
     
       8. An up-drawing continuous casting method that includes arranging a shape determining member that determines a sectional shape of a cast casting above a molten metal surface of molten metal held in a holding furnace, and drawing up the molten metal while passing the molten metal through the shape determining member, the shape determining member including a pattern provided on an upper surface of the shape determining member, the up-drawing continuous casting method comprising:
 capturing an image of the pattern that is reflected onto both retained molten metal that has passed through the shape determining member, and the casting formed by the retained molten metal solidifying; 
 determining a solidification interface from the image; and 
 changing a casting condition when the determined solidification interface is not within a predetermined reference range.